choke hard to pull

G

Graham2755

Member
Apologies if I am revisiting and old subject....... the choke on my 1972 P6 V8 auto seems ridiculously hard to pull out. it has been like that since I bought the car in 1992, and despite many attempts at lubrication and adjustment, it has never improved. I wondered if anyone knew a solution - maybe my technique?
If disconnected from the carbs the knob pulls easily, so i guess the issue is with the mechanism on the carb itself, but all seems to move freely when operated by hand under the bonnet.
I tried pushing the accelerator all the way down when pulling the choke out so the choke cam doesn't have to lift the throttle off the idle position, but no difference.
does anyone have any tips?
Thanks
 
If the cable is straight when it works easily while disconnected then it could be the curve when fitted that's causing the inner cable to snag on the outer. If that's the case just disconnect the inner while leaving the outer in place and see if it's still stiff like that.
 
harveyp6 said:
If the cable is straight when it works easily while disconnected then it could be the curve when fitted that's causing the inner cable to snag on the outer. If that's the case just disconnect the inner while leaving the outer in place and see if it's still stiff like that.
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Hi harveyp6, i just disconnected the inner cable, leaving the outer in its usual run, the knob pulled out with no effort. once reconnected, a lot of force needed to get it moving. i don't have an original owners handbook so i don't know if i am meant to put my foot on the accelerator while pulling the choke. in any case, that doesn't seem to help.
 
You shouldn't need to depress the throttle to operate the choke, so from the way you describe it it would appear to be stiffness in the linkage on the carbs.

All you can do now is systematically disconnect the linkage on the carbs until you find the tight spot.
 
harveyp6 said:
You shouldn't need to depress the throttle to operate the choke, so from the way you describe it it would appear to be stiffness in the linkage on the carbs.

All you can do now is systematically disconnect the linkage on the carbs until you find the tight spot.
Click to expand...
done that, even took off the link between the carbs. individually, or linked, they move freely and easily. puzzling. back out to the garage to try more experiments. are v8 chokes known for being heavy in operation?
 
Lets know if you solve your problem Graham as I too, have the same problem.
I have removed the front console with both the choke and pet reserve cables attached , so will soon reattach,
hoping to rectify the problem too.
On my series one , I didn't have this problem from memory
 
My choke is the same, you could pull the whole car along with the effort req.
I touched on this when another member put up pics of his carbs and I gleaned a possible cause as my cable is easy to pull when disconnected.
On my choke mechanisms the screw that contacts the cam is thread end down, that is the end of the screw contacts the cam, and as a small contact area seems to dig in and drag.
In the photo's I saw the screws had a nice domed head and the screws were the other way up and it was the head that contacted the cam, so there was a larger area to lessen binding.

I of course have not got around to remedying the situation and still have a stiff knob ;)
 
harveyp6 said:
With the cable connected to one carb it moves easily? If that's the case it must be the other carb at fault. Moving them with your hand isn't always the same as them being moved by the cable.



No.
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i meant to say the chokes move easily when turned by hand, without pulling on the cable. both carb's chokes turn easily (well, relatively, still got springs to overcome) but like you say, what is easy to the hand directly on the chokes is a different matter to the cable, where the cable attaches is close to the axis about which the choke rotates, so there isn't much mechanical advantage. tried a different route on the cable tonight, up and over the nose of the air filter housing, no difference so it must be purely down to the resistance of the chokes pivoting. i'm thinking of adding an extension to the choke mechanism to allow the cable to pull on a greater radius, whether i ever get round to it is another matter........
 
cobraboy said:
My choke is the same, you could pull the whole car along with the effort req.
I touched on this when another member put up pics of his carbs and I gleaned a possible cause as my cable is easy to pull when disconnected.
On my choke mechanisms the screw that contacts the cam is thread end down, that is the end of the screw contacts the cam, and as a small contact area seems to dig in and drag.
In the photo's I saw the screws had a nice domed head and the screws were the other way up and it was the head that contacted the cam, so there was a larger area to lessen binding.

I of course have not got around to remedying the situation and still have a stiff knob ;)
Click to expand...
my screws are thread end down too, but i eliminated this by pressing the throttle down while pulling the choke cable, so the screws are clear of the cam anyway. still really stiff to pull.
 
update............ on my way to the BA Stores Vintage Country Fair to exhibit my P6, i lost the back end on a slippery curve and ended up leaping a ditch and nose diving into a field. radiator went into fan, front valance struck a boulder and the same boulder bent up the radiator crossmember. One front bumper overrider mangled, bumper seems to have a slight twist and the interior is covered in the coffee my wife was drinking at the time. i had driven 40 miles of the 41 mile trip without so much as a slide, and i have been around that corner many times so what was special about to day, who knows. Boo.
 
Graham2755 said:
update............ on my way to the BA Stores Vintage Country Fair to exhibit my P6, i lost the back end on a slippery curve and ended up leaping a ditch and nose diving into a field. radiator went into fan, front valance struck a boulder and the same boulder bent up the radiator crossmember. One front bumper overrider mangled, bumper seems to have a slight twist and the interior is covered in the coffee my wife was drinking at the time. i had driven 40 miles of the 41 mile trip without so much as a slide, and i have been around that corner many times so what was special about to day, who knows.
Click to expand...

Diesel.

Hopefully you can get it all repaired again.
 
Yeah I've slipped on a diesel spill coming off a roundabout in a van once, not a nice feeling.
Glad everyone was ok
Jim
 
So sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you get it all fixed up. Guess the choke problem is now well down the list of jobs to do. Good luck.
 
cobraboy said:
My choke is the same, you could pull the whole car along with the effort req.
Click to expand...
Me too :(, so much so that the hooked knob snapped!

However, a decent squirt of WD-40 type fluid at the carburettors & down the cable have transformed the movement into being almost effortless.... :cool:
 
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